Dental-floss device.



F.. ECAUBER'T.- DENTAL FLOSS DEVICE. APPLICATION map IAN. 3. 1 914.

Pat-em Juhe 11, 1918.v

WITNESSES DENTAL-FLOSS DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application filed January 3, 1914. Seria11\lo;810,148.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnro EGAUBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in -Dental- Floss Devices, of which the following is a full and clear specification. My invention relates first to a receptacle for dental floss by which the dental floss may be suspended under tension for use.

The objects of myinvention are first to cheap, practical and sanitary de- The dental floss receptacle comprises in general a case for a coil ofdental floss, having a projecting resilient armwith suitable curvature, perforated at its outer end to receive and retain an enlargement or projection of the dental floss and hold the same undertension between it and the main case.

panying drawing,

The invention is illustrated in the accomin which r Flgure 1 is a perspective view of the dental floss receptacle;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the case;

' Fig. 6 is a detail sectional elevation of the perforated end of the resilient army Fig. 7 is a transverse verticalsection of a case containing a reel for the dental floss;

Fig. 8 is a face view of the inside of the end suitably curved and provided with a perforation 15 (see Fig. 4)

from which leads a slot 16 terminating in a countersink or depression 17 (see Fig. 6). Theparts thus far described may be constructed of any suitable elastic material, such as metal, celluloid and the enlargement passes perforation 12, from which leads a slot 13. projects fromthe caselO and has its outer a post 1O forming an arbor for the reel 20 l and extending almost to the cover 21 for -mly supporting the same at the center against collapse while permitting perfect closure of the case. This post 10 may be integral 1 with, or suitably secured to the body of the case 10 The dental flossis knotted at regularintervals, or otherwise provided with enlargements or projections, and drawn through the perforation 12 until through, whereupon it is moved through the recess 13 until a knot, or enlargement, is reached, and the inner end of the length thus drawn out is arrested against the wall of the slot. The knots or enlargements are so spaced that a knot on the outer end can just pass through the perforation 15 of the arm 14:, whereupon the outer end of the dental floss is pulled over the slotted portion 16 of the arm 14,-, causing the arm to yield inwardly until the end drops into the countersinkor recess 17, whereby the dental floss is then retained under tension. The bottom of the recess 17 is preferably flat, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and the sides are preferably straight, so that the knot has no tendency to be crowded through the end of the slot 16, and it can not escape from the depression when a transverse strain is exerted upon the portion stretched between the case and the outer end of the arm. It will be obvious that the arm 14: maybe either curved so as to permit the knot of the dental floss to pass through the perforation 15 without bending the arm, orthe arm may be so constructed that it requires manual bending to permit the knot to reach the outer walls -of slot 16. In any case,

may employ in place for dental floss cases.

threading is seriously the watch case back, for example,

more accurate.

L gain the desired ,crease inthe diameter of the.

however, it is essential to my invention that the dental floss is held under tension between the arm 1 1 and the case 10 and preferably this tension is maintained by the arm 14. For this reason the outer end of recess 16 is farther from recess 13 than the inner end is, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

A cover or back 11 is illustrated in Fig. 5 as beingmerely an ordinary snap cover. I

of the snap cover a screw cover, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, in conjunction with a correspondingly threaded base. I

The screw cover herein illustrated is applicable to many uses other than as a cover Referring to Fig. 8,

21 indicates a back havmg the annular flange 22 forming the side wall, and in this side wall are formed plural threads 23. As heroin shown the plural threads are in the form oftriple threads, the entrance to the severalthreads being spaced equally apart upon the circumference or in the present case 120 apart. A threading of this character is especiallyimportant in shallow covers, such as watch case backs, where the space for limited. In such instances where one thread only is employed is not centered and secured on all sides until a comp'lete turn has been made. Consequently when a shallow cover of this type, .where space for but few turns is available, the securing of the back to the case is. correspondingly weak and imperfect. By employing, for example, three independent threads, as herein shown, spaced apart equal distances about thecircumference, one-third of a turn completely centers and firmly secures the back to thecase. Furthermore, the centering is easier found and the seating is It is unnecessary in many cases that the individual thread extend be yond the entrance to the succeeding thread, but it may, if desired, extend to the termination of the above space and thus oifer additional security and strength.

:It will be observed from the examples of my invention herein shown that I pre- 1fer1to construct the case and arm in the same plane and with the axis of the coil of dental floss relatively short and disposed at right angle to the plane of the case and arm, so that all portions-of the dental floss are substantially in one plane and the coil rotates in this plane. In this way I am enabled to capacity of the coil by inso as to keep the an article which is conveniently inserted and floss, a projecting arm from said case; said case case and coil, dimension of the case and arm in a direction at right angle tothe plane thereof relatively small and thus produce to said peripheral hole being slightly greater than one of said lengths.

2. A dental floss device comprising in combination a case having a perforation with a communicating slot of smaller cross section, means extending therefrom having a perforation with a communicating slot of smaller cross section located at a distance from said case, and a supply of dental floss having enlargements capable ,of passing through said perforations'but not capable of assing through said slots. p

3. A dental floss receptacle comprising in combination a case for a supply of dental for holdinga project ed length of dental floss under tension, and an annular cutter disposed entirelywithin the body of the receptacle for cuttingthe 4. Adental floss device comprising in combination a case, a supply, ofdental floss disposed therein with enlargements at predetermined intervals, and an arm projecting from said case; said .case having an outlet permitting the withdrawal of a length of dental floss predetermined by said. enlargesaid enlargements of the dental floss from the nearer to the farther end of said slot.

5. A dental floss device comprising in combination a case, a supplyof dental floss disposed therein with enlargements at'predetermined intervals, and an arm projecting having an .outlet permitting the withdrawal of a length of dental floss predetermined by saidenlargemerits, and said arm having arecesseXtend- .ing from a point relatively nearer .to said outlet to a point more remote therefrom and adapted to permit the passage of said enlargement at said nearer point, While preventing such passage throughout the remainder of its length, said nearer distance being 5 approximately equal to one of said predetermin'ed lengths of dental floss, whereby said arm and projected length of dental floss are placed under tension, by sliding one of said enlargements of the dental floss from the said recess having a depression at its remote 10 end for retalning said enlargement of the dental floss.

FREDERIC ECAUBERT. Witnesses:

WM. A. COURTLAND, Oomvms KNIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

